Analysis of ‘Before the Law’ – Kafka

Analysis of ‘Before the Law’ – Kafka - Mohit Mo Mokal 20141258 Looking at it roa!ly" Kafka’s #er$e#tion of the law is %ery real an! $yni$al& 'n the short te(t of )Before *he Law+ he talks ao,t a an fro a sall %illage seeking s eeking the law& law& *here is a sense of a,thority that the law has" Kafka is %ery anti-law an! sees to e a non-elie%er in the law& law& .e thinks there is a arrier etween the $oon an an! the law" whi$h he !is#lays in the for of the !oorkee#er in the te(t& .e feels the law is nothing ,t an ill,sion an! we get a %ery r,tal iage when we #i$t,re the law an! the #eo#le asso$iate! with it& .e talks ao,t Law as a higher a,thority an! gi%es it a /o!-like stat,s& *his story in si#le ters tells ,s how $orr,#t" a#atheti$" an! ,nfair law really is to the $oon an& .e ,ses %ery si#le lang,age to #aint an e(treely elan$holi$ #i$t,re of a an who s#en!s a aor #art of his life ,ntil he !ies" efore a gate" waiting for a$$ess to the law& *his !is#lays that the law is s,##ose! to e a$$essile to e%eryone" ,t only ser%es the interests of a few as  *hrasya$h,s aintains" ),sti$e is nothing else than the interest of the stronger&+ stronger&+ *here is a sense sens e of reality in this" as we $an often see in !ay-to!ay li%es the in,ential #eo#le es$a#e the wrath of law" aking the law the s#here of the fori!ale& *he $oon an goes insane in his %ent,re to seek the law" he starts talking to the eas to e! the gatekee#er to let hi insi!e the gate& Kafka i(es i(es a sense of a,thority with the law& law& Law is !is#laye! to e s,e$ti%e an! o##ressi%e& *he #itiale an is shown as soeone who has no #ower or will of his own an! is nothing ,t a sla%e of law& .e !es$ries the !ooran as a %ery strong an! %iolent" an! o,t of the fear of the !ooren ahea! the $oon an !oesn’t e%en atte#t to $ross the gate" th,s gi%ing law the $ontrol o%er his free will& .e !oes ha%e an o#tion of going a$k" ,t then again his wish to gain a$$ess to the law wo,l!n’t e et" as we $an see in the te(t as well& *h,s" law sees like an ill,sion as his entry altho,gh i#ossile only sees to e #ost#one!& Catherine Harwood concurs, Kafka rightly tells us that law cannot guarantee justice and that nothing should be expected of it.

A$$or!ing to Kafka Law is soething ser#entine" i&e& a onster& onster& .e talks ao,t it as soething that s,$ks a #erson insi!e o,t& *he an waits on the stool for the rest of his life" an! law s,$ks o,t e%erything – fro his energy to his %al,ales& 'roni$ally the !ooran $alls the ol! an

)insatiale+" ,t to the rea!er it is law that is insatiale an! akes the an wait all his life to e #eritte! a$$ess to it& Law is also gi%en a /o!-like role in )Before the Law+& *he $oon an sitting o,tsi!e the !oor" egging for a$$ess to law" $an at the en! see the )ra!ian$e+ $oing fro the )gateway of the Law+ an! law ass,es a role that the ol! an n!s worth waiting for his entire life& Kafka goes on to ter law as soething" whi$h is $orr,#t& Law is e(e$,te! y the organi3ation that Kafka" not only in this #arale ,t also in other no%els like )er ro3ess+" as soething" if in whi$h one is tangle! on$e $annot free hiself again& Also Kafka fo$,ses on the !isgra$e of law when he talks ao,t the ries the ol! an gi%es to the !ooran" that the syste of law a$$e#ts the all the ries it $an ,t a$ts as if the it is !oing a ser%i$e for the $oon an y gi%ing the the #roise of ,sti$e& Law is also sai! to isolate an! terrori3e the $oon an& 6hen the ol! an is !ying" he asks the !ooran why he is the only #erson who in these years has egge! for a$$ess to law when e%ery $oon $iti3en stri%es for it to whi$h the !ooran answers that the !oor was for this ol! an only an! that it will e sh,t after the ol! an !ies& *his shows how law ten!s to show ea$h #erson that she or he is se$l,!e! when the eing re7,ests ,sti$e" th,s aking her or hi feel that she or he is all alone an! is th,s alare! y this ill,sion that she or he is ,nai!e! in the nee! for ,sti$e an! is #,ny& Kafka tries to ring o,t an a##earan$e of law efore the rea!ers an! a$$or!ing to .annah Aren!t !oes the sae in a )style less anner+ an! in a way whi$h is not $haring ,t the si#le tr,th&  *he i!ea of law y Kafka sees to for the %ery sha!y feat,res of law an! a ske#ti$al %iew of it an! is nothing ,t what ha##ens in real life as .annah Aren!t a##ro#riately states that it sees as if Kafka is %iewing the worl! fro soe e(ternal #la$e an! is $on$erne! with )nothing ,t the tr,th+&  *he feat,res of law shown y Kafka was soething $onsi!ere! really se%ere at his tie an! any #eo#le faile! to $o#rehen! it" ,t Kafka as a law st,!ent was well aware of the syste of law in /erany with the wi!e re$onnaissan$e an! $lan!estine #oli$e syste where #eo#le were snoo#e! ,#on witho,t their knowle!ge an! on$e elie%e! to e at fa,lt ha! no es$a#e fro the syste& Kafka has this %iew of the law e$a,se of his life& Kafka li%e! thro,gh the tyranny of the /erans" the .olo$a,st where any of his faily

eers were r,thlessly kille!& Kafka has lot his faith in ,sti$e an! law&  *his hel#s ,s ,n!erstan! the real wrath of the ‘law’ that is s,##ose! to #rote$t the #eo#le& .e re$ei%e! no ,sti$e what so e%er" an! e$a,se of his style of writing an! the $learness of his essages we $an ,n!erstan! the reality of the sit,ation of what the law is to the $oon #eo#le&